The Riders of Ragnarok
by Dean Moore
Summary: A tale about Tusken people written in the vein of an icelandic saga.


**Riders of Ragnarok**

**Chapter 1: Warm sands…**

**!WARNING! This material has been banned by the Ministry of Information of the Grand Empire !WARNING!**

**Reason(s) of Banning: Unpatriotical ****content, thoughtcrime.**

**Censor: Caisar Vespus**

**Censor's note:  
**_The book of "Blood, sand and honour", written by Thoja Eberlyne, is one of questionable contents. Thoja was a twi'lek explorer, who was the first to establish friendly relations with a tribe of Tusken Raiders. Over a period of three years and two months, she lived with the sand people, learned of their primitive customs and wrote down many of her experiences with them. When reading this, please bear in mind that Thoja was of very strong political convictions and was a self-proclaimed 'tusken-sympathizer'. While the book is in of itself a vile piece of propaganda, some of the accounts in this book is of some historical value. As it explains much about Tusken mentality, it could also be very useful in case the conflicts with the tusken escalate. _

_**Blood, Sand and Honour**_

The people of the dune sea are a curious one; they are tough and hardy, yet of much elegance and culture. Unless you have seen them, you will not understand. After following the A'Rúun'iz tribe's nomadic travels for half a year and being taught their language by the sweet wifes of the tribe, I was finally invited into their camp.

It was marvelous; The tents of crimson were old and worn-out but bore a certain rustic elegance. The children were playful and would play "B'thaz'in Oo'keterkst" ("The bantha un-danger" which roughly translates to "defend the bantha") in their time off. When they weren't playing, they were mostly performing their duties within the tribe; going hunting with their parents, learning how to fight properly or learning how to keep bantha.

By night, the entire tribe would gather around a great fire; this is where the duties of the shamans or storytellers came into play. They would tell the stories of the people; they would tell of deeds done many centuries ago and they had to remember each story word by word. The punishment for uttering a single incorrect word was death by decapitation. Even in this tribe, which was one of the less brutal.

One of the oldest tales they knew was the tale of Rúun Urksthaal, who was known as the one who started this particular tribe.

I wrote down the saga and translated it into basic. It was told over three nights, which acts as chapters for the tusken.

**The Saga of Rúun Urksthaal-A'Rúun'iz**

**Night I**

This is the Saga of Rúun Urksthaal as it has been passed down from shaman to shaman; this is the tale as it was formulated word by word by Haïk A'Kuurtz III, the first shaman who told this story!

Let it be known that this saga begins in the days of Versius III's rule; what is told in this tale takes place during his early years.

Bakael was the name of a man; he was called White-mane and lived in Zuurg'olong; he owned the richest and most fertile land in the area. His wife was called Issa. With her he begat three sons, who all grew up on his farm; the first son was Abdh'izman, the second one Rúun and the third one Urtzus.

There was a man called Isse; he lived in Ma'iz'ma near the great dunes of Bala'ek'amark'iz'uruk'mana'ik. His wife was called Aslem and their daughter O'mah. Abdh'izman Zuurg'olong, Bakael's son from Zuurg'olong, proposes to her and he is then married to her. The slave Surd was then given to him as dowry.

Ba'alk-quer-azz the Great was a great warrior and known as a ruthless berserker. He would challenge anyone who didn't fear him to a duel. One day Ba'alk-quer-azz came to the farm of Abdh'izman and O'mah. When he laid his eyes upon O'mah, he was taken aback by her beauty and wanted to bed her. He proceeds to give Abdh'izman an ultimatum; either Abdh'izman will duel Ba'alk-quer-azz in a fight to the death or surrender his wife to Ba'alk-quer-azz. Abdh'izman immediately chooses to fight.

The day of the fight comes three days later; they are now fighting and in the end it is Abdh'izman who falls. Before he dies, he utters the words:

_"Foul birds strike my entrails, coward!" (Note: This expression is very old-fashioned and nobody in the camp knew what it meant; likely a curse)_

Ba'alk-quer-azz is now of the opinion that both O'mah and the farm is rightfully his; however, Rúun Zuurg'olong says that he would rather die than see that happen, so he challenges Ba'alk-quer-azz to a duel. O'mah then speaks to Rúun and confesses to him that she loves him and that her slave has a sword called Iggshroth that Rúun could use in the duel. Rúun then fights Ba'alk-quer-azz with the Iggsroth and Ba'alk-quer-azz falls and dies. After that, Rúun marries O'mah and claims the farm as his own. When he tries to claim the Iggshroth as his own, he gets into an argument with Surd and the slave kills Rúun but not before becoming mortally wounded. Surd dies painfully from his wounds two days later.

Bakael dies the next winter and so Urtzus must claim both farms as his own and renames them Urksthaal. He marries a woman by the name of O'lutz, daughter of Haelgkfn of Skíllsdadgils. Their marriage is a good one and it is long until Urtzus has children by O'lutz. The first one is Ha'ed; she was beautiful and fertile. The oldest of his sons is Bakael Urksthaal, the next is Rúun Urksthaal and the youngest is Abdh'izman Urksthaal. They all grow up on the farm and no finer men than the Urksthaal brothers could be found in the dune sea.

Bou'ou'ik was the name of another young man in the area. He had an affair with Ha'ed. Urtzus did not approve of this so he went to Bou'ou'ik and told him to leave Ha'ed alone. Bou'ou'ik refuses to do so and so Urtzus goes to Bakael and orders him to kill Bou'ou'ik. Bakael refuses as he and Bou'ou'ik are best friends. Urtzus then goes to his son Rúun, who agrees to kill Bou'ou'ik; Bou'ou'ik is stricken down while attending to his bantha the very next day. While Urtzus is very pleased with the actions of his son, Bakael is not quite so. Bakael then leaves the farm and goes to live with Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar Skaggírs, who is a distant cousin of Bou'ou'ik. Bakael entices Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar to avenge his distant cousin and marry the beautiful Ha'ed. Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar agrees and soon after, Bakael and Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar marches off to Urksthaal with 20 raiders. When they arrive, Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar goes to Urtzus and tells him that he wished to be accepted into the family by "marrying the young Ha'ed", but Urtzus does not agree to this. It was said that Ha'ed had found a new love in the man Cai. Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar thought to himself that Cai probably was the reason that he wasn't allowed to marry Ha'ed and so he marched out to challenge Cai to a duel. Cai refused to duel him; he was stricken down regardless. Seeing how upset his sister is with this, Rúun desides to ride out and meet Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar and Bakael in combat. He finds Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar and tells him that "only the effeminate strikes down him, with whom he has no quarrel". The two then begin to duel; Bantha'zuurk'iz'amanar loses his leg and retreats to his farm in disgrace. Bakael, seeing that his brother is an honorable man, reconciles his differences with his family and returns to Urksthaal. Rúun won much renown that day.

10 winters pass by and Rúun becomes a man; he marries Ku'ina of Ba'urksmit'ge and builds himself his own farm Zuurk'Rúun in what is now known as Ahaeb'Rúun. Bakael comes to live and work on Zuurk'Rúun but he is lazy and vain. Rúun inherits Iggshroth form his father; Bakael inherits nothing, but becomes a judge and a poet.

Another man lives in K'gaaz'iz (Anchorhead). His name is Urukh. Uruk is the owner of 120 bantha and at least 40 slaves. Urukh was the son of Halvar and Sianella. He was an honorable man; he had killed many men in honorable combat and always refused to pay fines for his crimes. This had brought him into trouble at many points but Urukh had always survived. Abdh'izman Urksthaal comes to his farm one day and asks him for a job. Abdh'izman is granted one. He is allowed to live and eat on the farm. He can ride all of his master's horses, however, the steed Skiggarsfaxe is not allowed to be touched by anyone but Urukh. Abdh'izman was a hard worker and carried out his duties well. However, one day a herd of sheep he was watching ran wild and he used Skiggarsfaxe to catch the herd and lead them back to the meadows where they grazed. He is beheaded by Urukh when he returns to K'gaaz'iz; he had broken the rules of his master and so the law dictated that Urukh executed him. Beheading is a coward's death, though, and Urtzus is very displeased with the way his son is killed. He then takes his horse and rides to K'gaaz'iz. He tells Urukh that he must pay for his son's death. Urukh tells him that:

"_You should be aware that I never pay for any of my crimes; this, you must settle with. However, I regret this killing more than any other. You have been my honorable neighbor for many years, I have always liked you and I do not consider you an enemy; neither would I have had held anything against Abdh'izman, had he never ridden my steed! Rules are rules, however, and I told him to stay away; when he disrespected these rules it was my duty as his master to end his life. I am very sorry for what I have done and therefore I shall provide your farm with bantha and sheep for the next 10 winters; I shall help you care for your sons and daughters and provide them with food and milk. Am I then forgiven? Surely most would say that the killing of Abdh'izman costed me greately!"_

Urtzus is not content. "I can't accept those terms!".  
"Then what do you want from me?" Urukh asks

"I want you to stand trial before the council of judges and pay for your crimes in a proper way!" Urtzus exclaimed.  
"If you bring me before a court it will look as if you are my equal; I cannot accept this" Urukh replied.

Urtzus got very angry at Urukh and attacked him; Urtzus was the one who fell. Upon hearing of his father's demise, Rúun rides out to challenge Urukh. He brings the Iggshroth, the blade of his fathers. This time it is Urukh that falls. Urukh begs for his life but is beheaded by Rúun with the Iggshroth. While all this happens, Bakael is serving with a raiding party in distant lands and has therefore nothing to do with these events. However, when he and his men return, they are met by Hroth, the brother of Urukh, and 30 of his raiders. Hroth tells Bakael that he wants revenge for the death of his brother. Hroth and his men then attack; Hroth and his men strike down all 8 of the raiders but lose 13 men in the process.

Rúun is now the sole proprietor of Urksthaal and becomes a very powerful man. During a meeting of the elders (a council of tribe leader) it is declared that both sides have gotten their revenge and that peace must be established between the two sides. Rúun lives in peace on his farm for 6 years before Hroth shows up again, this time with 10 raiders. They attack the farm at night, setting the farm ablaze, trying to burn Rúun with the rest of his family and workers. They are unsuccesful, though, and Rúun manages to escape as the only one. Hroth, seeing him escape, follows him in a persuit through the desert.

**Night II**

_The second "chapter" is interesting. It indicates that the tusken may have been aware of the force and force-sensitivity long before our civilisation. Notice the references to 'that which binds us'._

This is the Saga of Rúun Urksthaal as it has been passed down from shaman to shaman; this is the tale as it was formulated word by word by Haïk A'Kuurtz III, the first shaman who told this story!

30 days went by as they ventured through the unforgiving desert.

A shaman lived at the foot of the mountain we now know as Ku'url'ka (Curlcka); his name was Haïk A'Kuurtz. He was a man of honour, who feared the gods and did no evil. He had a wife, Elkh, with whom he had three children, but none of them lived at his house anymore. Elkh was know in even lands far away for her filthy mouth. Her cursing could put even the most rough of all men to shame. Rúun comes to their house and they see that he is weak. They recognise him as a man of much honour, take him in and provide him with food and water so that he may live. Rúun had been quick on his feet, so Hroth and his henchmen were several days behind. This was lucky for him, as he passed out and slept for three days at the house of the shaman. The shaman came to him as he was sleeping and induced dreams of Rúun's dead family upon him.

On the first night he dreamt of his father and mother; Urtzus and O'lutz of Urksthaal appeared before him, Urtzus holding a phantom of the very blade Rúun was now carrying with him. His mother was wearing the robes of a widow and his father the armour of a warrior. His father spoke unto him:

_"My son! Many trials you shall endure, but it is important that you trust that which binds us, for through this, you shall move mountains! You shall face your foes in combat, just as I did, but unlike me, you shall prevail! It is written in that which binds us! Your fate lies on the top of the great hills of K'henna! Here, you shall face Hroth and you shall be his bane! Ú__li-ah'tzom ar'g vih'na vúl! (We are the children who will win; used by tusken at the end of oaths and prayers)_

O'lutz embraces her son and speaks to him also:

_"That which binds you shall give you two paths; the path of the snake and the path of bird. You must choose wisely my son or your soul shall be lost forever! You must love, not hate. You must forgive, not forget. You must avenge, not murder. Love your next and your wife and your father and his father before him has loved theirs! Ú____li-ah'tzom ar'g vih'na vúl!_

And then the phantoms go away as quickly as they appeared. He is unconsious until the next day where the shaman once again invoke his dreams. This time the ghost of Rúun's deceased wife returns. She kissed his hand and caressed his cheek. Her words were loving and soothing;

_The sands of the desert shall be rendered mud;_

_For the dunes of T'hah'tu'een (Tatooine) shall run red with blood._

_O! Husband! from the oasis of my soul I say onto thee:_

_Do no evil; that which binds us shall set us free!_

Rúun still sleeps the third day; yet again the shaman invoke dreams upon him.

This time he has a terrible nightmare of unimaginable horrors. Rúun stands on the top of K'henna and is facing his foes. They charge him and the clouds darken. He cuts down many of his foes but is hit in the stomach and his entrails falls out! He cries out and is claimed by that which binds us.

Rúun awakes the next day and Elkh brings him food and quenches his thirst. Haïk comes to Rúun and asks him if he has slept well; Rúun, being an honest man admits that his dreams had been dreams of his beloved but also of dark omens. This worries Haïk; being a shaman, he understands the importance and clairvoyant properties of dreams. He then asks Rúun about the people of whom Rúun dreamed. "I am being chased by Hroth, brother of Urukh" Rúun explains. "They want vengeance even though we are even! He is out for blood!". Haïk sensing that this Hroth must be a man of violence realises that he will be killed if he is found hiding Rúun and so he speaks unto Rúun; "The moons tell tales of Hroths arrival tonight! You must hide in my wife's bed, under the sheets! She will speak in the foulest of tounges and scare the men away". Rúun was not much for lying in be with another man's wife but he agrees as it seesm Haïk doesn't mind.

As the moons had foretold, Hroth and his men came to the shaman's house that very night and knocked on his door. They ask for Rúun and Haïk lets them in. "He who has nothing to hide, has nothing to fear" Haïk said. When the raiders come to the bedroom where Rúun is hiding, Elkh begins cursing at them; curses many of them have never heard before. Keeping in mind that these were shamans, the raiders were quick to conclude that Rúun was not there and travel on, as to not get cursed.

Rúun jumps out of the bed and rejoices; Finally, it seems like he has evaded the raiders of Hroth. Haïk comes to him and tells him that he should travel on as it is no longer safe at his house. The shaman knew that if one tries to prevent ones destiny from happening, it makes that which binds us very displeased; therefore he could not keep Rúun there any longer. Rak'el is a servant to Haïk and is told to travel with Rúun in his journies. They are given two bantha.

They ride on to Ma'has Ey'ieslae (Mos Eisley). They come across a small group of nomads who are trying to settle in the desolate lands of the area. They are mostly old men and women; they are the victims of one of Bakael's many raids. Unlike his late brother, Rúun would never kill innocents for personal gain and so he takes pity on them; he helps them build a settlement and make wells, so that they may cultivate the lands. The settlement is attacked in the middle of night by raiders some months thereafter. Nine settlers die but Rúun and Rak'el are proficient fighters and fend off all the raiders - all nine of them. Another young man excels in combat and kills the bandit leader, Raz-man'ul. His name is A'man'iz and he is the grandson of Bala'ek'amark'iz'uruk'mana'ik. The settlement is then named after him as "Zuur'a'man'iz". Rúun and Rak'el go to him and say: "Truly, the blood of the warrior runs thick in you! Will you join me and be my huscarl in Ma'has Ey'ieslae when we have made our farm there?". A'man'iz thinks about the offer for three days before accepting. The three of them travel on to Ma'has Ey'ieslae, A'man'iz and Rak'el riding on the same bantha.

**Night III**

This is the Saga of Rúun Urksthaal as it has been passed down from shaman to shaman; this is the tale as it was formulated word by word by Haïk A'Kuurtz III, the first shaman who told this story!

Let it be known that the dunes are treacherous! For when Rúun, A'man'iz and Rak'el travelled through the desert they were attacked by bandits and Rúun was wounded! They travel through the desert as quickely as they can; for Rúun's wounds are severe and must be treated as fast as possible! Rúun is treated for his wounds when they arrive at Ma'has Ey'ieslae; he is treated by the beautiful Na'raïa who he immediately proposes to. The marriage is clean and the pain of losing Ku'ina slowly dulls in Rúun's heart.

A blacksmith in Ma'has Ey'ieslae is called Ha'urk. Ha'urk is very powerful and has even more influence in the city than the cheif. Ha'urk is also a distant relative to Hroth. Rúun is a smart and kind man and the two quickly befriend eachother, Ha'urk being oblivious to the man-hunt. Ha'urk lends Rúun money so that he can build his own farm. Rúun then builds the great farm of Zuul'ha'urk. Rúun is respected by everyone in the city; Only the local taylor Bitird envies him. Bitird drinks with Rak'el one day and Rak'el lets it slip that Hroth and his men are looking for him and Rúun. Bitird recognises the name Hroth as the very powerful relative of Ha'urk. He then goes to the beautiful Na'raïa and presents her with a proposition; she must divorce Rúun and marry him or he will inform Ha'urk that Hroth is looking for them. Na'raïa cannot comply as she does not love Bitird. In fact, she cannot stand him. Bitird goes to Ha'urk and informs him that Rúun is in fact a fugitive, an enemy of his relative. When Ha'ruk hears this, he does not care. "So what? Is friendship not more important than blood?". By not caring, Ha'urk is breaking the law; as he is of the same blood as Hroth, it is dictated by the law of the elders that he must aide his relative in his quest for vengeance. The Cheif, Hankuul, then puts out a warrant for Ha'urks arrest. Ha'urk is then arrested, sentenced to death but rescued by A'man'iz and Rak'el. The three of them and Rúun then flee the city of the elders, becomming lawless.

Hroth comes to Ma'has Ey'ieslae; he says that he is seeking the three lawless men and to wishes pay for his relative's indulgence. His blood-brother is forgiven for his crimes and Hroth is granted 20 men to hunt down Rúun, A'man'iz and Rak'el. Among these men is Haïk, who was often employed by Hankuul to put curses on his enemies. Haïk, however, is only pretending that he is cursing Rúun. Meanwhile in the dunes, the four fugitives have returned to Zuur'a'man'iz. The settlers welcome them with open arms. A few weeks pass by before Na'raïa comes to Zuur'a'man'iz; Rúun impregnates her that very night.

One day the settlement is attacked by 8 of Hroth's scouts; they are all killed by the men of Zuur'a'man'iz but the settlement suffers 17 losses, not counting women and children. Rúun kills 3 of the scouts. Rúun then goes to Ha'urk and says unto him:

_"Ha'urk! I have come to see you as a brother, not just a brother-in-arms! I need to ask something of you that i had hoped that i would never ask of any man; I need you to go to your relative, Hroth, in Ma'has Ey'ieslae and tell him that I will be awaiting him at Mount K'henna!"_

And so Ha'urk replies:

_"I know why having to request this of me bothers you so, my brother! Surely Hroth shall strike me down after I have delivered the news. But do not worry; I am more than willing to put down my life for you and these people"._

Rúun and Ha'urk ride out the next day after saying their final goodbyes.  
Ha'urk goes to Ma'has Ey'ieslae, where he is arrested and tortured before being questioned by his relative Hroth.

_"Where is he, traitor of blood? Tell me where Rúun of Urksthaal is and your death will be a quick one!"_

Ha'urk coughs blood and is badly wounded but defiantly tells his relative:

_"Your bane awaits you at the foot Mount K'henna... now get it over with, you product of sodomy!"_

Hroth runs his blade through the stomach of Ha'urk and guts him.

_"Ouch... good one!"_ is the last words uttered by Ha'urk before he joins his ancestors.

At the foot of K'henna Rúun is meditating when Hroth and twenty men arrive on their horses. Suddenly, a snake lying on the ground spoke unto Rúun.

_"You must strike them down without mercy and with no compassion; these have spilled the blood of not only your kind but also their own. They are the least deserving of justice! Let the hate fill you so that you can kill them all! If you do you, I will help you guide the Iggshroth_ _and you shan't miss them!"_

But then all of the sudden, a bird soaring the the sky spoke unto him. It had sage words for him. He considered the words of the animals while Hroth and his men came closer.

The men of Hroth dismounted their steeds and drew their weapons. Some of them even had rifles. Hroth stepped forward.

Carefully, Rúun drew his blade. He let it run out smoothly from its sheath, knowing that any sudden movement, any move not carefully thought out would spell his certain doom. He raised his sword slowly and held it in front of him, ready to strike down anyone charging him. Hroth looked Rúun in the eye and Rúun returned his look with a hateful glare. They both knew that only one of them would leave K'henna alive.

And so they stood for almost and hour. Hroth, the coward he is, then gave his men the signal to attack.

The men with rifles fire but hit nothing. Two men with maces charge Rúun but are immetiately stricken down. A thrid man wielding a bow manages to hit Rúun in the gut causing Rúun let's out a shreik of pain before gutting another one of his attackers. A strong man pierces Rúun shoulder with at spear but is beheaded by the Iggshroth with a swift slash to the neck. One by one, ten men are stricken down, painting the sand under them crimson red. Five men surround Rúun but they, too, fall to the lone Tusken. One of them, however embeds his knife in Rúuns back, causing him to stumble. He falls over and the riflemen see their chance; they empty their magazines and hit Rúun 8 times, blowing his gut open and causing his entrails to fall out. Rúun gets up on his knees but doesn't rise. Only 7 men and Hroth remain.

With trembling arms and blood coming out his mouth, Rúun takes off his shirt. He then stuffs his entrails back into his open gut and uses the shirt to close the wound, tightening it around his wound as much as he can. He then rises.

Hroth draws his sword.

_"So... It all comes down to this. It has been an honour. Now die!" _Hroth cries and launches himself towards Rúun piercing his chest with his sword. Rúun pulls the sword out of his chest and stabs Hroth in his genitals. Rúun walk a couple of steps away from Hroth, then falls over and dies.

Back in Zuur'a'man'iz the bird that spoke to Rúun appears before A'man'iz, Rak'el and Na'raïa and says:

_"I am the spirit of Ku'ina, conjured by Haïk A'Kuurtz! Your friend, Rúun, is dead! Hroth has taken his revenge and emerged the victor!_

Na'raïa breaks into tears, but the spirit-bird tries to comfort her.

_"Rúun did not die in vain, though. He scarificed himself so that the rest of you could live; right before he fought Hroth I told him that if Hroth ever was stricken down, the conflict would never end; Hroth's familily would avenge him and the cycle of murdering and vengance would never end. But should Rúun choose to let himself be stricken down, the cycle would end, the people of Zuur'a'man'iz would be allowed to live in peace and Rúuns son would never know the violence Rúun knew through-out his life. Therefore he allowed himself to die at the hand of Hroth". _

And with these words Ku'ina left, never to return. The entire town of Zuur'a'man'iz were saddened but they understood. They then renamed their town A'Rúun'iz in Rúun's memory.

Rúuns son was born the next year. His name was Rarfúr. He grew up a strong and independant man and saw Zuur'a'man'iz flourish. Rak'el lived to become to become 56 years old and had 2 children. Aman'iz lived to become 41 years old untill he tragically was killed while hunting. He had no children. Na'raïa lived to become 51 years old and never remarried.

Hroth became infertile and died a sad old man. Haïk II, the son of Haïk, was responsible for burrying his body.

and so concludes the tale of Rúun Urksthaal. May honour be upon his memory.


End file.
